This invention relates in general to medical power service columns for use in hospital rooms and in particular to a medical column having a flat-cornered triangular shape. Conventionally, medical walls and columns are structures which house electrical, medical and gas equipment for use in hospital rooms, especially intensive care rooms and coronary care rooms. These structures are usually prefabricated in portions or totally at a manufacturing plant and are then installed in hospital rooms and connected to electrical power distribution systems, patient monitoring systems and gas supplies in the ceiling, walls or floors of the room. Although medical columns have been used in the past, medical walls are more common. The following patents illustrate some of the prior art.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,769,502 and No. 3,660,591 disclose medical walls currently in use in hospitals. The medical wall disclosed has a head wall portion and two wedge shaped sections which project from the opposite vertical edges of the wall section. The medical wall contains various electrical and gas outlets and other medical and electrical equipment. The medical wall disclosed as best shown in FIG. 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 3,769,502 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,660,591 is permanently attached to the wall and has the disadvantage that, because of the wings or side sections, hospital personnel are hampered in getting to the patient without moving the bed out away from the medical wall. Although the wall may be suitable for normal hospital rooms, in intensive care and coronary care rooms where the beds are not positioned necessarily against the wall, they would have little or no use. Column 1, lines 35 to 67 and Column 2, lines 1 to 50 of U.S. Pat. No. 3,769,502 and Column 1, lines 26 to 75 and Column 2, lines 1 to 28 of U.S. Pat. No. 3,660,591 set forth the pertinent features and summary of the invention of the disclosed medical walls.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,462,892 discloses a typical manner of construction of medical walls. The structure generally comprises a pair of horizontal members and a plurality of vertical members interconnecting the horizontal members. Spaced apart channel members are supplied for supporting various medical and electrical equipment and outlets. FIG. 5 and lines 20 to 63 of Column 2 in U.S. Pat. No. 3,462,892 best illustrate the type of construction disclosed. The construction disclosed although adequate for medical walls would not be sufficient or practical for medical columns. Since the column is positioned away from the wall in the hospital room the type of construction would need to be substantially stronger and would require more than covering both sides of the frame work with face panels. Such a medical column formed from a medical wall would be lacking in structural strength without extensive redesign.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,762,398 discloses a medical column which is movable in the room and which may also be positioned against a wall of the room. The disclosed medical column is best shown in FIG. 4 and described in Column 5, lines 3 to 17. As can be seen from the drawing, the medical column is large and requires a substantial amount of space in the hospital room. This is a disadvantage in that most hospital rooms do not have a sufficient amount of space for a medical column of this size. Also a severe disadvantage is the fact that the medical column must be connected by electrical and gas lines to the wall of the room thereby preventing anyone from walking totally around the medical column as may be necessary in emergency situations.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,032,057 discloses another medical column for use in an operating room which is attached only to the ceiling and may be pulled down when in use, or pushed back up toward the ceiling when not in use. The disclosed medical column is best described in Column 2, lines 53 to 73 and Column 3, lines 1 to 10. The disadvantage of the column is that, although it may be pushed up towards the ceiling, a typical hospital room has an 8' ceiling and there would not be sufficient clearance for a person to walk under the column. In addition, if the column were bumped into in either the extended position or in the non-extended position there is a danger of disturbing medical equipment mounted on the column or of perphaps actually loosening the column from its attachment at the ceiling. Another disadvantage of the column is that it also obscures visibility of the hospital room.
The relevance of the prior art indicated in the present specification should not be given a limited interpretation. The prior art is the closest prior art of which applicant is aware and should not be construed as a representation that no better art exists or that a search has been made. A cited prior art item may be found to have relevance in a passage other than the one referred to, or to have relevance in a sense different than as stated.